Speck Products SeeThru Lucid for iPod nano

The new second-generation (2G) iPod nanos are so shiny and colorful, it's only natural that you'd want to show yours off. That doesn't mean, of course, that you don't want to keep it safe from harm. Can you accomplish both of these seemingly paradoxical goals? That's what Speck's SeeThru Lucid case attempts to do.

Constructed from resilient, transparent polycarbonate, the SeeThru is a hardshell case in two parts, joined together with a hinge at the case's top. The side edges and inside of the case are lined with a rubberized seal that keeps the case secure. There's also a detachable belt clip that slides up and down the edges. The case has openings for your iPod's Click Wheel, hold switch, dock-connector port, and headphone jack. Unfortunately, some third-party headphones with thicker plugs, and some third-party accessories that connect to the iPod's dock-connector port (such as SendStation's PocketDocks), are too thick to connect while the nano is in this case.

The SeeThru feels nice and robust in your hand, and it shows off the 2G nano to great effect, but I have some concerns about the case's construction. It's held shut by two small plastic clips on the inside; on the unit I had, one of them did not click closed securely. When attached, the removable belt clip does help the case stay shut, but I found that the clip slid up and down the edges of the case too easily for my taste, and did not seem to clip on the case firmly enough. Both of those factors left me wary about using the belt clip. Other clear hardshell cases, such as Mophie's Relo Radura, get around this issue by clipping directly to the nano rather than to themselves.

There are a good number of transparent hardshells available for the nano, and the SeeThru is about par for the course. However, if you're seriously concerned for your iPod's safety or if you use third-party headphones and/or dock-connector accessories, you may be better off looking elsewhere. --Dan Moren

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